Wainwrights The Final Countdown Part 1

Fifty Wainwrights to go and fifty one weekends to bag them before my next birthday. Sounds easy but lets find out how difficult it is. In some places I’ve got a loop I can do to bag new tops in other places it is a pair or an single outlying straggler. I’m hoping to finish by the end of 2023 if possible.

Today’s targets

We are looking at a big loop of Southern and Central Fells taking in part of the Bob Graham third leg and some new Wainwrights visited along the way. The new peaks are Glaramara, Pavey Ark, Loft Crag, Lingmell and Seathwaite Fell. Others include High Raise, Bow Fell and Scafell Pike. The route is around 25 miles.

View from the car near Seathwaite

I’m running with Tamsin for the first time today. She is doing the Bob Graham Round at the beginning of June and today is part of her training plan. I’m not specifically training for anything but have a goal of completing the last 50 Wainwrights in the next 12 months.

Getting underway

It looks wet and misty from about 500m as we drive into Seathwaite and park the car up. Tamsin has plotted the route, what could go wrong? I’m not expecting the left hand turn after half a mile and the steep climb straight up the side of Glaramara. Tamsin is doing great on the climb sticking with me over the rough grassy ground. The clag starts to come in and rain begins to fall. It looks like we are going to have a full day in this and no exciting views to photograph. After a long climb we reach the top of Glaramara. New Wainwright no1 ticked off.

Tamsin at the cairn on top of Glaramara

Into The Valley

Into the valley from Glaramara

We already decided to go straight over the valley to High Raise and continue our run from there. Down into the valley which produced the best photograph of the day. We aim for a footbridge to the left of the three streams. The bridge is sturdy and I haven’t been on it before. It is tempting to stay down in the valley as the rain has stopped but we carry out our plan and climb straight up the hill to High Raise at over 800m.

View from the bridge

Visibility Poor Superhero Needed

By the time we get to High Raise visibility is poor again and heavy rain is falling. My phone doesn’t like the cold, wet weather and is already warning it has less than 20% battery. No more photos today. Tamsin’s map reading is pretty good but progress is slow as the landscape is flat and grassy with few features. It is like pea soup in all directions and we could do with some specialist help.

We hit Sergeant Man perfectly and head for Pavey Ark, getting very close before deciding the weather isn’t getting any better and a route to Rossett Pike cutting out a few planned tops was the best idea. After passing Thunacar Knott and Pike of Stickle I start to recognise the change in terrain which speeds up our run to Rossett. We climb up from Angle Tarn to Esk Hause meeting James and Stuart coming the other way. It isn’t the best photo but sums things up. I just want to get on with it while everyone else is happy to stand and chat in the pouring rain.

R/L Stuart, Mark, Tamsin, James

Back To the Car

One more mistake to go. Tamsin wants to visit Esk Pike and we set off following the map. The path gets steeper than I remember and has many rocks to navigate. We eventually turn round and head back to the car via Grains Gill, later finding out we had almost climbed to Broad Crag instead of Esk Pike.

The weather lifts as we get near the car and it is possible to run a bit more but we are both happy to get warm and travel home.

Summary

New Wainwrights bagged Glaramara

Wainwrights left 49

Northern Fells

Great Sca Fell, Brae Fell, Meal Fell, Great Cockup, Longlands Fell, Binsey

North Western Fells

Castle Crag

Southern Fells

Lingmell, Swirl How, Allen Crags, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Wetherlam, Slight Side, Cold Pike, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Seathwaite Fell, Hard Knot, Green Crag, Lingmoor Fell, Black Fell, Holme Fell

Western Fells

Starling Dodd, Great Bourne

Central Fells

Ullscarf, Pavey Ark, Loft Crag, Sergeant’s Crag, Tarn Crag (Easedale), Blea Rigg, Eagle Crag, Great Crag, Gibson Knott, Grange Fell, Helm Crag, Silver How, Loughrigg Fell

Eastern Fells

High Pike (Scandale), Heron Pike (Rydal), Low Pike, Stone Arthur, Nab Scar

Far Eastern Fells

Stony Cove Pike, Gray Crag, Hartstop Dodd, Sallows, Baystones, Sour Howes, Troutbeck Tongue

Companions Tamsin

Run on Strava

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